‘The doctor said it was prostate cancer — I never imagined it would happen to me’
Prostate cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. Early diagnosis is the key to saving lives, as John Ryan discovered.
Melbourne project manager John Ryan was 51 when his GP suggested he include a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test as part of his regular check-up.
A protein produced by the prostate, PSA is found mostly in semen.
Elevated PSA levels in the blood can be an indication of prostate cancer, but may also have other explanations.
“I’d been feeling completely normal but was over 50 and so usually had a check-up for my cholesterol and blood sugars,” married dad-of-two John says.
“When my PSA levels came back as elevated the doctor thought it might be an infection but when they rose again sharply, I was booked in for a biopsy and MRI scan.
“Sitting down with my urologist, I thought the results would be OK, but he said bluntly, ‘you’ve got prostate cancer’, and I thought, ‘wow, I never imagined it would happen to me’.”
A biopsy had discovered three tumors in John’s prostate – one 13mm long – and he underwent an aggressive prostatectomy, spending five days in intensive care and nine with a catheter.
A challenging recovery
“It affects you not only physically but also mentally – there’s that whole thing about your masculinity,” he says.
“But, if I hadn’t have had that blood test, there’s every chance I wouldn’t be speaking to you now.
“My message to other men is, never think that it can’t happen to you.
“I didn’t have any family history but a PSA test is such a simple test and only takes five minutes of your time. Five minutes that might save your life.”
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Prostate cancer is on the rise
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 24,217 Aussie men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, compared with 20,640 women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia chief executive Anne Savage says 66 men are diagnosed every day.
“The number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer is increasing more rapidly than any other type of cancer – the latest estimates suggest that more than 3500 men will die from prostate cancer this year,” Anne says.
“The impact it has on men’s lives is also significant.
“Men with prostate cancer face a 70 per cent increased risk of suicide death, and 72 per cent don’t get support for their mental health concerns. All which can be avoided if the disease is diagnosed early.”
Who is at risk of prostate cancer?
“Prostate cancer is unique among cancers in that we haven’t found a way of preventing it and we don’t know what causes it,” PCFA chief of mission and head of research Professor Jeff Dunn says.
“But men with a history of prostate cancer face double the average risk of developing it and if two or more close relatives have been diagnosed, your risk of developing it increases five-fold. We also know that age is a factor.”
While early prostate cancer doesn’t usually produce symptoms, in the advanced stages frequent urination, pain while urinating, blood in the urine or semen and pain in the back or pelvis can all be signs.
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Can prostate cancer be treated?
Treatment for prostate cancer depends on age, general health and the stage of cancer, but may involve active surveillance, surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
“Detected at its earliest stage, the five year-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer is nearly 100 per cent, which means if we can detect it while the cancer is contained within the prostate, we can almost certainly defeat it for good,” Anne says.
The Long Run is a fundraising event for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month this September.
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Written by Liz McGrath.
